Round or U shape?

[hungNtree]

Sorry to be such a bother, but I got another tube question. round or U shape? I read on another board that it was easy to fall out of a U shape in moving water. what do you guys think?

thanks in advance,
hNt

[ducksterman]

Neither...go with the V shape

[Lotech]

I've been told by folks a lot wiser than me, that neither is safe for moving water. You would be dangling your feet and legs into water that may have fallen trees or boulder configurations that can SNAG your leg or foot. And, the water won't stop moving long enough for you to free yourself. The hydrolic force of a river, even a small river, is unbelievable. Moving water should be left to craft where you can keep your feet above the surface.
Just a heads-up.

[Normand]

float tubes should only be used in stillwater. just for safetys sake!

[PanFisher]

Lotech is right on:

Stay out of moving water in a float tube. I understand some pontoon boats are designed for moving water but cannot speak on that as I do not have one and mostly fish lakes.

My preference is the U or V shape mostly for the ease of getting in and out of them. In still water the seat is fine and I have never feared slipping out.

[Dave E]

U or V hands down.

While I wouldn't launch in a river, afterbays and settling basins with flows running through them are an entirely different matter. Out here, some fairly well know Trout fisheries, like Baum and Lewiston lakes have current running through them and the use of float tubes in those lakes is very common.

Best, Dave

[rayhill190]

I wade with a round tube with suspenders i rigged up.You can not with a u-tube

[hungNtree]

I've been told by folks a lot wiser than me, that neither is safe for moving water. You would be dangling your feet and legs into water that may have fallen trees or boulder configurations that can SNAG your leg or foot. And, the water won't stop moving long enough for you to free yourself. The hydrolic force of a river, even a small river, is unbelievable. Moving water should be left to craft where you can keep your feet above the surface.
Just a heads-up.

I love this board!! I'd never have thought of that in a million years! FAOL is the best!!!

thanks,
hNt

[bugman]

yep. definatly No tube in moving water ! its a accident waitin to hapen. i would go with a good pontoon. when i was in high school, me & 4 other people in my class decided we would get some inner tubes amd float down the sabine river to lousiana durring spring break. no one knew exactly where we went cause we didnt tell nobody. we would float durring the day and camp at night. the river was up more than normal but wasnt flooded. we put in after gathering some things & headed down river. everything wseemed to go great the first 2 days. 3rd mornin we got up early as usual, had some cofee and toast which was just stale bread scortched over a fire then launched back into the sabine. we got to a shallow place in the river that lasted about 10 minutes of floating which was only knee deep. next thing we know it gets very deep, murky lookin and stronger current. there was a forked tree trunk in there stuck out from the bank underneath the water that none of us seen. 3 of us made it through but the 4th got his shoelace snagged by one of the forks of the trunk. it happened fairly quickly, jerked him off the tube & he was under. took 2 of us to git him out. everything turned out fine but could have been a different ending. it was sposta be a whole week of floatin but we cut it short. after that someone allways knew where i was going and about when i was sposta be back.

[Dave E]

That same thing could be said about wading in moving water too. Yet those in the know wade anyway.

Food for thought?

Best, Dave